


Stride the First Step

by maelstromdeparture



Series: On the Right Road [20]
Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Brotherhood, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Hybrids, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, It's pretty fluffy, Mentioned Bangtan Boys | BTS Ensemble, Mentioned SEVENTEEN Ensemble, Mentioned Stray Kids Ensemble, Mentioned TOMORROW X TOGETHER Ensemble, i'm not really sure what to tag this one
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-28
Updated: 2021-01-28
Packaged: 2021-03-13 19:08:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,808
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29033685
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/maelstromdeparture/pseuds/maelstromdeparture
Summary: With Mark's media attention over Donghyuck and Jisung's case against the manager finally slowing down, the group thought they were finally getting things back to normal. The arrival of a bunny hybrid being dumped on their doorstep in the freezing cold was not something any of them had counted on.
Series: On the Right Road [20]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1723291
Comments: 16
Kudos: 52





	Stride the First Step

**Author's Note:**

> this fic takes place shortly after After a Long Day is Over and is the most current in the in world timeline 
> 
> WARNGINGS!!!!  
> -referenced rape and assault   
> -implied abuse   
> -nothing detailed on any of it 
> 
> i think that's all the important stuff enjoy :)

The trial with the manager for abuse of Donghyuck and Jisung had gone by surprisingly quickly. Mark had expected it to be a long process, especially since Chan and Felix’s involvement in the Black Rose trial was dragging on. Ten had been the one that pointed out that since Donghyuck and Jisung weren’t the manager’s hybrids, it was a more punishable offense in the eyes of the court system and had a more standard outcome that they could apply, not to mention that the last thing the wanted was a second high profile case involving hybrid rights at the same time as the Black Rose one, so it made sense that they had sped the process up as much as they could. The trial being over in only a year hadn’t done anything to slow down the access of attention that 7th Sense was getting regarding hybrid rights in response, though it was slowly shifting over from interviewers trying to get extra information from them to fans asking how Donghyuck and Jisung were doing and going out of their way to support hybrid rights movements around the world. There had been a lot of overturn in staff surrounding their group in the past few months as well, since several staff members had refused to work with them anymore, friends and schoolmates alike had called several different members to tell them they were being stupid about the hybrid thing and that they didn’t want anything to do with them anymore and trying to dissuade them. Mark had gotten phone calls from friends he didn’t hardly see anymore to begin with, but he that it wasn’t anything like Ten telling his uncle not to call him again if he was just going to yell at him, and Kun cutting off all ties with the friends he had made as a trainee, most of them bonding over being international trainees, more than one of Kun’s phone calls had ended in him blocking a number after being yelled at for supporting both his bandmate and the hybrids. Mark had only tried to apologize once because the others had shut him down pretty quickly over it. But things were finally calming back down now and Mark was glad that they seemed to be through the worst of it now. Especially since it meant doing lives again was less of a minefield and he felt like they were relatively back to normal, there were still random hate comments about it, but overall Mark didn’t feel like he was having to completely make things up to keep the live going without addressing the hate comments. Which is where he was now, propped up on his elbow reading VLive comments on his bed in the dorm talking about getting to be part of one of Taemin’s choreography videos that was recently uploaded, when a weight drops onto his hip and he yelps slightly, surprised by it and trying to get his breath back.

“You okay?” he asked looking down to see Donghyuck had apparently decided that Mark was going to be his pillow as long as he stayed in one place. Donghyuck nodded eyes on his own phone, and knowing he wasn’t in frame for the live.

“Here, can I move so I can breathe and you’re not trying to lay down on a bone?” complained Mark and Donghyuck grinned up at him but moved so Mark could readjust and they could be more comfortable. Mark turned back to the live.

“Sorry, but yeah, I love getting to work with Taemin-hyung it’s fun. It’s nice to get to be part of some of his videos when we have time too. No, I don’t know when SuperM is going to do something again,” said Mark shaking his head and then going quiet as he read comments again.

“Yeah, it’s Donghyuck-ah,” said Mark nodding and smiling slightly, “I think Jisung is with Xiaojun watching a movie.” Donghyuck pays him no mind while Mark continues his live, Mark absently scratching his ears while he talked.

“How’s Hyuck’s hand? Hey, how’s your hand?” asked Mark looking down at Donghyuck who hesitated a moment before lifting his hand up so it was in frame of Mark’s live.

“It’s alright,” he said, “they can hear me, right, hyung?”

“Yeah, they can hear you,” said Mark nodding.

“Okay, it’s alright. It’s going to be scarred and shaky now, but I have full mobility still and that’s awesome,” said Donghyuck, “besides Jisung thinks the scar is cool.” He dropped his hand again and Mark laughed slightly.

“Right, so there’s that answered,” said Mark nodding and continuing on.

“No, if Donghyuck-ah wanted to be on camera he wouldn’t have gone out of his way to stay out of frame earlier,” said Mark shaking his head, there must have been a couple of fans asking to see Donghyuck, they liked to do that when they knew he or Jisung were in the room with Mark.

“Yeah, Donghyuck and Jisung like skinship,” said Mark nodding, “despite skinship being necessary for mental health for everyone, hybrids need it more because lack of skinship can actually make them really sick. It has something to do with the DNA modification involved in the process, but I don’t know enough about science to be able to tell you exactly why. Some hybrids need it more than others too. I think dogs are supposed to need it more often than any other kind of hybrid, but I’m not sure. So yeah, skinship is good for everyone so we’re all pretty comfortable with each other in the dorm.” He moved on from there for a few minutes and then Donghyuck’s ears twitched toward the door and voices sounded in the hallway. The commotion outside got louder in the next couple minutes and Mark decided that maybe they needed to go figure out what was going on so he ended the live quickly and sat up.

“Kun-hyung’s yelling at someone,” said Donghyuck, “in Chinese. And I definitely heard the door open.”

“Want to stay here and I’ll come get you just in case or do you want to come?” asked Mark shoving his phone into his pocket. Donghyuck sat up so Mark could move as he thought about his answer. 

“Jisung’s out there,” said Donghyuck finally, “I’m coming too.”

“Alright,” agreed Mark nodding and heading towards the door. Everyone was gathered in the living room and there weren’t any managers, which meant that whatever was going on wasn’t related to the group. It took Mark a moment to realize what was happening. Kun was indeed yelling at someone in Mandarin but he was on his phone. Lucas and Ten were on the couch, well Ten was on the couch, Lucas was crouched in front of it, both of them talking to a shaking boy that Mark didn’t recognize, a shaking bunny hybrid that Mark didn’t recognize. He had no collar and was in shorts and a thin T-shirt, no wonder he was shaking he was probably freezing.

“What happened?” asked Mark looking at the chaos confused. Donghyuck was holding onto his elbow and Mark could feel him looking over his shoulder at the scene.

“Uh, this is Hendery, apparently he’s living with us now?” said Lucas sounding confused himself. “Kun-hyung’s yelling at his old owner, right now. Xiaojun and Jisung are making tea to try and help him warm up.”

“That was not a very good explanation,” said Mark still confused. “Where did he come from? Is he okay?”

“One of the guys Kun-hyung trained with that’s at a different company now, dropped him off on our doorstep, since apparently we’re ‘buddy buddy with useless hybrids now.’ Lucas found him, since he was going to go to the convenience store,” said Ten, “he needs warmer clothes.

“He can borrow some of mine,” said Mark nodding. “I’ll find something warm.” He turned to hurry back down the hallway, Donghyuck stayed in the doorway to be part of the chaos.

“Is he okay?” asked Donghyuck.

“He will be,” said Lucas, “he’s just really cold and we can’t calm him down.”

“Should I call Jungwoo-hyung?” asked Donghyuck hesitantly. He didn’t want to leave the bunny on his own with the other three when he was so scared, but he also wasn’t really sure he wanted to be in the room while Kun was yelling. Kun didn’t ever yell, he rarely even raised his voice at all. The others were all pretty loud and Donghyuck and Jisung had finally gotten used to the noise of the dorm, but Kun didn’t yell, which meant a yelling Kun wasn’t something Donghyuck wanted to be near.

“Not yet I don’t think,” said Ten. “If he doesn’t seem okay after we get him warmed up we’ll call Bangtan.” Donghyuck nodded and hesitated a little longer in the doorway before moving over to sit next to the bunny on the couch.

“Were you outside very long?” asked Donghyuck worried. The bunny nodded hesitantly.

“Why didn’t you knock?” asked Lucas curious, “we could have found you way sooner.”

“Master told me not to,” whispered the bunny. Ten rubbed the bridge of his nose and looked to suddenly be very tired.

“I’m Lee Donghyuck,” said Donghyuck, “that’s Lucas-hyung on the floor, you can call him Xuxi or Yukkei too. Ten-hyung, did you do introductions yet?”

“We were more worried about getting him inside and calming down,” said Ten shaking his head.

“Right, that’s Ten-hyung then,” said Donghyuck nodding, “and the yelling one is Kun-hyung, he doesn’t normally yell, he’s really nice. What’s your name?”

“Wong Hendery,” said the bunny, “or Kunhang.”

“Which one do you like better?” asked Lucas.

“I like anything,” said Hendery quickly.

“Are you sure? Because Mark-hyung called me Haechan for years because that’s what he thought I preferred, and he wouldn’t have done that if he knew I preferred Donghyuck,” said Donghyuck shaking his head.

“I really don’t care,” said Hendery hesitantly. “I like them both way better than anything else anyone’s ever called me.”

“Alright, then we’ll just use them both like we do for Lucas,” said Ten nodding.

“Here’s tea, hyung,” said Xiaojun hurrying into the room from the kitchen and handing it to Ten who handed it to Hendery.

“How long do we think Kun-hyung is going to keep yelling?” asked Xiaojun looking worriedly at where the oldest was still fighting with his friend on the phone.

“I have no idea,” said Ten.

“Right, then me and Jisung are going to stay in the kitchen a bit longer if you need us,” said Xiaojun nodding.

“Xiaojun-hyung,” said Donghyuck quickly, “is Jisung-ah okay? I can take him to our room.”

“I’ve got him, Donghyuck-ah,” said Xiaojun nodding, “don’t worry about it.” Donghyuck nodded trusting that Jisung would’ve come to find him if that wasn’t true. Xiaojun hurried back to the kitchen where Jisung was apparently intending to hide out until Kun was no longer on the phone. Mark came hurrying back down the hallway at that point clothes in hand.

“What about a shower?” he suggested as he walked into the living room, “maybe warm water will help? Hey, do you want to shower?” Hendery looked panicked at the idea but didn’t say anything just looked at Mark with wide eyes.

“Hendery?” asked Donghyuck. “Do you want to clean up? You might feel better.” Hendery’s attention shifted to Donghyuck and he looked hesitant a moment before leaning closer to whisper in his ear.

“Okay, well, I can sit with you in the bathroom and the rest of them can stay out here?” suggested Donghyuck hesitantly. “That’s okay, right?” He was looking at Mark this time who nodded immediately.

“Yeah, definitely,” he said looking a little lost but agreeing anyway.

“Alright,” said Donghyuck, “I’ll take Hendery to the bathroom, Mark-hyung, can you check on Jisung-ah?” Mark nodded, passing the clothes off to Donghyuck and heading towards the kitchen.

“Jisung-ah? Xiaojunnie?” asked Mark disappearing through the doorway.

“We’ll see if we can get Kun-hyung off the phone with his friend,” said Lucas.

“And what we’re going to need to do to get the ownership papers transferred over,” said Ten nodding, “yell if you need something.” Donghyuck nodded as he tucked the bundle of clothes under one arm and pulled Hendery to his feet with the other hand.

“Okay, hyung,” he said in agreement. Hendery didn’t say anything else as they walked out of the living room and seemed to be doing his best to keep his eyes on the floor as well, he was still shivering violently from the cold. Donghyuck let go of him to pull the bathroom door shut behind them and lock it.

“Okay,” he said turning around and setting the clean clothes on the counter. Hendery looked terrified and freezing still and Donghyuck felt very out of depth. He knew what to do when Jisung was scared and needed reassurance. He had no idea where to even begin with Hendery.

“Do you want a shower or a bath, Hendery-ssi?” asked Donghyuck.

“Um, he said shower so I guess shower?” asked Hendery nervously looking at Donghyuck surprised that he had offered a second option.

“Mark-hyung just meant you might want warm water and to get clean. A bath is probably going to warm you up faster than a shower will,” said Donghyuck thoughtfully, “Jisung always does baths, he hates running water so he won’t take showers. Personally I don’t prefer one over the other. Would you rather a bath?” Hendery hesitated and then nodded.

“Are you sure it’s okay?” he asked nervously.

“Positive,” said Donghyuck nodding and turning on the faucet to start filling the tub. “Are you hurt in anyway? You can still feel all your fingers and toes, right?” Hendery nodded and looked down at his feet, which was when Donghyuck noticed Hendery wasn’t wearing shoes and the older boys had probably been too worried about actually getting him in the house to have taken the shoes off for him, which probably meant Hendery’s owner had tossed him at their doorstep without shoes, a coat, or any sort of winter gear at all, it was a good thing Hendery was wearing socks at least.

“Okay, that’s good,” said Donghyuck, “do you know how long you were out there?”

“Right after lunch,” said Hendery, “I don’t know how long that is.”

“That’s almost six hours,” said Donghyuck softly. “Kun-hyung might want to take you to Bangtan just to doublecheck you’re actually okay. That’s a really long time to be that cold.”

“What’s Bangtan?” asked Hendery worried. “Are they going to send me to a shelter? I’m too old to go to a shelter, Donghyuck-ssi. They’ll kill me.”

“No we’re not going to take you to a shelter,” said Donghyuck, “Bangtan is a hybrid clinic. They’re really nice and they’re the only no killer clinic in Seoul. They saved my life a year or so ago. I can still use my hand and everything.” He held up his hand for Hendery to see the scar.

“How old are you?” asked Donghyuck.

“I’m not sure,” said Hendery, “I was born in 99.”

“Hey, you’re older than me then,” said Donghyuck nodding.

“What happened to your hand?” asked Hendery hesitant to ask. “Did your owner do that?”

“No. One of the managers did. He dumped hot water down Jisung and I yelled at him for it so he stabbed my hand through with a knife,” said Donghyuck nodding. “He doesn’t work for us anymore, or any entertainment company either. Mark-hyung’s my owner, he’s Jisung’s owner too, and he was pretty upset about it and scared. If Bangtan wasn’t as awesome as they are, I probably would have bled out because hyungs couldn’t get the bleeding to stop. There’s a major artery that runs through your palm, you know? It was pretty bad.”

“He kept you even though you’re not perfect anymore?” asked Hendery wrapping his arms tightly around himself as he talked, trying to warm up slightly. Donghyuck turned the water off as he nodded.

“Yeah,” he said, “Mark-hyung wouldn’t sell either of us or send us to a shelter. Kun-hyung’s really mad about how you showed up here and that he wasn’t told that you were out there and that you got hurt because of it, but he’s not going to sell you or send you to a shelter or anything. He’s either going to keep you or ask one of our friends if they have room for you. You’re going to be okay.”

“The other cat is scared of him,” said Hendery. Donghyuck nodded.

“Do you need help getting your clothes off or are you okay?”

“I can do it,” said Hendery quickly and then starting to pull his clothes off and climbing into the warm water quickly. His eyes fluttered shut at the warmth and his body relaxed. Donghyuck sat down on the lid of the toilet so he was nearby incase Hendery needed him.

“And yeah, Jisung’s scared of Kun-hyung right now. Not in general though,” said Donghyuck shaking his head. “It’s not Kun-hyung specifically that’s the problem. Jisung’s old owner used to scream at him all the time so he really doesn’t do well with yelling, most of the others are pretty loud on a regular basis so he’s used to them being loud, but Kun-hyung is normally pretty quiet. It is scary when he starts yelling because he doesn’t normally. Jisung’s okay though. He’s with Xiaojun-hyung and Mark-hyung and Kun-hyung will be done soon.”

“You locked the door right?” asked Hendery. “Can they get in?”

“Yes, the door’s locked, no they can’t,” said Donghyuck.

“They won’t be mad about it?” asked Hendery.

“Doors and locks are allowed to be used against anyone we want even if it’s them as long as we aren’t hurt and needing help,” recited Donghyuck nodding. “That’s the only time one of them will try to get in even if a door is locked. We haven’t had to use it yet though so don’t worry about anyone coming in.” Hendery nods slightly looking surprised.

“Every owner I’ve had in the past didn’t allow me to close any doors at all,” he said, “and there were only ever locks on the outside of doors.”

“Sounds awful,” said Donghyuck wrinkling his nose at the thought. “You won’t have to worry about that here.”

“What do I have to worry about exactly? Master just said that his friend was crazy,” said Hendery nervously, eyes darting to the door as if he was worried Kun would hear him. “How bad is it going to hurt?”

“Kun-hyung’s not going to hurt you,” said Donghyuck shaking his head, “he won’t touch you or do anything at all. If you don’t want him anywhere near you he’ll do his best to stay out of your space. His friend probably thinks he’s crazy because he sounds like he was exactly what you expect the owner of a bunny hybrid to be like. Kun-hyung and the others, they aren’t. They care about us a lot and they’re really great. Really weird but great. They’re trying to help with hybrid rights movements. Do you know what 247 is?” Hendery nodded.

“They’re an extremist group that wants hybrids to die,” said Hendery, “they want there to be no owners because they think it’s wrong that hybrids have owners and they want us to die because they want all owners to kick their hybrids out and then we don’t have anywhere to go and if the weather doesn’t kill us starvation will because we’re not animal enough to survive in the wild. And the bigger hybrids will kill the smaller ones like me and you or keep them around as toys. 247 is really really bad.” Donghyuck reeled back startled at that. That was the most twisted explanation of 247 he had ever heard.

“Your owner told you that?” he asked and Hendery nodded hesitantly.

“Yeah, he’s a liar,” said Donghyuck, “that’s not what it is at all. Technically they’d like to get to a point where we don’t need owners, but they don’t want owners to kick hybrids out and abandon them, because you’re right as it is the world won’t let us support ourselves and we’d die and it would be awful. They want us to have the same rights as people do. So that we can have jobs and exist as people and that abuse and rape can be registered and that euthanasia practices stop. And that shelters and selling and breeding of hybrids don’t continue. They don’t want to kill us all, they want to keep the rest of the world from continuing to kill us and hurt us. That’s what 247 is. Kun-hyung and the rest of the group are really weird because they believe we’re just as human as they are, that’s why your old owner thinks Kun-hyung is crazy.”

“Why would master say that then?” asked Hendery hesitantly.

“He probably was trying to make sure that if you ever came in contact with someone from 247 you wouldn’t try to run away and get help,” said Donghyuck shrugging, “or is just bitter because he’s hateful. I don’t know. People do things that don’t make sense and I can’t explain it. All we have for ear shampoo is cat stuff, hyung, but you’re welcome to use it.” He pointed out the right bottle and Hendery reached for it and started carefully cleaning his ears. They were lopped but short. Where Han’s brushed his shoulders, Hendery’s hit just above his chin, one ear was gray and the other was white.

“Are they all going to want to play with me or just the one that’s my new owner?” asked Hendery and Donghyuck frowned at the phrasing of it. He knew what Hendery meant, a lot of bunny hybrid breeders would teach them to call rape their owners’ playing with them to make it softer sounding and the bunny cuter sounding. Donghyuck had always hated it.

“Kun-hyung won’t touch you, Hendery-hyung, at all in anyway,” said Donghyuck shaking his head. “He’s not going to expect you to have sex with him and none of the others will either. No one’s going to touch you, I promise.”

“But that doesn’t make sense. That’s what a bunny is for. That’s all we’re for,” said Hendery frowning. “Why would they keep me otherwise?”

“Because you need help and we have room,” said Donghyuck nodding, “and despite what everyone’s ever taught you, hyung, that is not all you’re good for. You’re a person and you’ll get to have so many options on who and what you want to be now. It’s really overwhelming, but you’ll be okay because Jisung and I will help. I know it doesn’t make sense, but it will eventually.” Hendery was quiet as he thought about this and rinsed out his ears. He wasn’t shaking anymore and it sounded like down the hall Lucas and Ten had gotten Kun off the phone.

“Okay,” said Hendery finally, “if I’m done do we have to leave the bathroom?” Donghyuck giggled.

“You’ll have to leave the bathroom at some point, hyung,” he said, “the sooner we do the sooner we can find you food too. You’re way too skinny.” Hendery looked down at his own stomach and frowned.

“Really? Master was always really upset, said I was overweight for a bunny,” said Hendery. He hesitated. “Was he wrong about that too?”

“Yeah,” said Donghyuck nodding, “but that sounds about normal. You’re not as skinny as you might have been, but you definitely need to gain some weight, hyung. Don’t worry though, we have plenty of food.” Hendery nodded and took the towel Donghyuck offered him to start drying off with as he stepped out of the bathtub. Donghyuck set the water to drain as he waited for Hendery to finish and get dressed.

“Ready?” he asked Hendery once the bunny was dressed. Hendery nodded once determinedly but he looked scared, though less scared than he had before so Donghyuck opened the door and led the way back towards the living room. Hendery stuck close to Donghyuck, but was careful not to touch him the whole way down the hallway. Ten and Lucas were the only ones still in the living room.

“Hey, feeling better, Hendery-ssi?” asked Ten lighting up at seeing the two of them returning. Hendery nodded quickly.

“Yes, sir, thank you,” he stated quickly.

“Oh you can call me hyung, Hendery-yah,” said Ten. “You are younger than me, right? Right, Donghyuck-ah?”

“He is,” said Donghyuck nodding. “He’s Lucas-hyung’s age.”

“Hey, cool,” said Lucas brightly.

“Mark and Xiaojun took Jisung with them to pick up food,” said Ten to explain the quietness of the dorm at the moment. “And Kun went to get the ownership papers settled and tags taken care of. They should be back soon. Do you want tea now, Hendery-yah? You should probably try to stay warm for a while. I don’t know how you’re supposed to deal with being out in the cold that long, but it seems like a good idea? Kun-hyung called Bangtan already and figured you could go for a checkup in the morning.” Hendery nodded in recognition and Lucas stood up.

“I’m going to heat your tea back up,” he said nodding.

“Here, sit, sit,” said Ten gesturing to the couch. “Donghyuckie filled you in, right?”

“I did, hyung,” agreed Donghyuck already guiding Hendery over to sit on the couch, on the far end of it from Ten who did not seemed concerned about the distance.

“Good,” said Ten nodding. “I mean we do our best, but we clearly don’t know what we’re doing because it took us a few years to figure it out with you and Jisung.” Donghyuck giggled slightly at that as Ten started handing him blankets to wrap Hendery in.

“What kind of bunny are you, Hendery-yah?” asked Lucas returning from the kitchen carrying the tea and setting it on the table next to Hendery. Donghyuck claimed the middle seat of the couch to act as a barrier for Hendery and Lucas sat down in one of the other chairs.

“Mini Lop,” said Hendery nodding slightly. He seemed to relax slightly as they talked and waited for the others to return and Donghyuck hoped that Hendery really would be okay and that they would be able to help him.

It was weird living with the group of them in the dorm. Hendery got along with both Donghyuck and Jisung easily and quickly. Ten and Lucas were both nice but loud and Hendery didn’t like being alone with either of them for months. Xiaojun and Mark he warmed up to quicker because both were a little bit quieter, though once Hendery was more comfortable it was evident that both of them were being quieter on purpose to make sure they weren’t overwhelming him. Kun was the calmest of the group of them and Hendery liked him pretty quickly. It only took a couple weeks for him to decide Donghyuck was right and that Kun wasn’t going to hurt him. With the group’s schedules starting to pick up they weren’t home all at once very frequently and Hendery got used to being the only one in the dorm for a couple days a week since both Donghyuck and Jisung would go meet up with friends at Jin’s or hang out with Taeyong or Taeil’s hybrids and Hendery wasn’t very eager to leave the dorm at all, but especially not if Kun wasn’t with him. He did not want to have to deal with the outside world without his owner because bunnies didn’t leave the house and they really didn’t leave without their owners. It was a little weird that Donghyuck and Jisung did, being cats, but not nearly as strange as it would be for a bunny too and despite Kun telling him it was okay if he wanted to, that he didn’t need Kun to be with him, Hendery just couldn’t shake the feeling that he was going to make Kun mad, so he opted to stay home alone. It meant on those days he made himself food and then would usually drag one of the blankets from the living room and a couple pillows from Kun’s bed onto his bed and read one of the books on the bookshelf and enjoy the quiet of the dorm and the comfort of the multitude of pillows and blankets on his bed. He always went out of his way to make sure everything was put back in their proper place by the time that anyone came home, which meant when he heard the dorm door open and close when everyone was supposed to be out he panicked slightly, worried that it was someone that wasn’t supposed to be here or one of the boys come home early that would be upset he had stolen the pillows and blankets. He held his breath hoping it was just Donghyuck and Jisung but he knew they were playing video games with Yuta and Johnny this afternoon and wouldn’t be home until after the group was supposed to be tonight. Sure enough the footsteps coming down the hall didn’t sound like either cat hybrid and they stopped at the door to his and Kun’s room and opened. Kun had earbuds in and wasn’t paying attention to the room itself as he walked in and dropped his backpack in it’s proper place. Hendery wanted to curl up into a ball. Kun set his phone down and pulled the earbuds out and smiled at him when he realized Hendery was awake.

“Hey, thought you were probably napping,” said Kun, “I’m going to shower and I’ll be back. Want to order food and watch a movie?” Hendery nodded hesitantly.

“You. You’re early, hyung?” he whispered after convincing himself to ask. Kun had told him multiple times to ask whatever questions he wanted. Kun nodded.

“Yeah, my schedule for the rest of the afternoon got cancelled,” he said, “I’m gross and sweaty from practice so I’m going to clean up and then we can hang out.” Hendery nodded slightly and Kun frowned, apparently cluing in from body language that Hendery wasn’t okay.

“What’s wrong?” asked Kun worried. “Did something happen? There wasn’t a manager that came by today, right? They’re not supposed to be here if we aren’t here.”

“No, hyung, no one’s been by,” said Hendery shaking his head. Did Kun want him to admit what he had done? He didn’t seem like that kind of a person, he seemed like he was straight forward about stuff and would be outright with what you had done wrong.

“Okay, can you tell me what’s wrong? I can’t fix it if I don’t know what’s going on, Kunhang-yah,” said Kun worried and then switching to Mandarin. “ _You seem scared._ ”

“ _You’re not mad?_ ” asked Hendery also switching to Mandarin with Kun.

“ _No? What would I be mad about?_ ” asked Kun baffled.

“ _I stole your pillows, Kun-ge, and some of the blankets from the living room, um, and Lucas’s pillows,_ ” said Hendery trying to mentally prepare himself for the punishment.

“ _That’s okay,_ ” said Kun shrugging, “ _if you want to build a nest on your bed while no one’s using the pillows and blankets you’re welcome too. We just need them back by tonight. Do you need more pillows and blankets for your bed? We can pick some out this afternoon and they can get here by tomorrow._ ” That wasn’t at all what Hendery had been expecting Kun’s response to be.

“I don’t need extra, hyung,” said Hendery shaking his head. “You’ve already given me a lot of things. I’m happy with my bed, I promise.” Kun nodded.

“Okay, but would you be happier with more pillows and blankets? Donghyuck and Jisung like to fill their beds with plushies because they feel like a little bit more of a barrier between them and everything else,” said Kun. “If more pillows and blankets would make you happier then we get more pillows and blankets.” Hendery’s quiet a minute as he thinks about it. Kun’s been adamant on making sure Hendery was happy and warm and comfortable. This probably isn’t some kind of trick to get him in trouble, and more blankets and pillows would be nice, and it would be fun to pick them out with Kun this afternoon.

“Can I have more blankets and pillows, please, hyung?” he asked so quietly that Kun almost didn’t hear him.

“Absolutely,” said Kun nodding. “Okay, I’m going to shower and I’ll be back with my laptop. Do you want to pick out snacks?” Hendery nodded and started sorting out the pillows that would need put back.

“I’ll pick snacks,” he agreed. Kun nodded and headed to the bathroom to shower. Hendery put the pillows and blankets back in their right places before heading to the kitchen to pick out snacks for the two of them. He grabbed two of Kun’s favorites and then looked at the cupboard planning to grab another of Kun’s favorites before seeing a bag of chips that he knew weren’t Kun’s favorites, but Hendery really liked them. He argued with himself over grabbing the chips or not before hearing the shower shut off and making a decision. He grabbed the bag and headed back to their room. A minute later Kun was joining him on his bed, laptop in hand and Hendery happily wiggled to make room for him and slot in against his side. He hadn’t ever had an owner that was affectionate like Kun was and he loved every minute of it. It was so nice to have that now. He missed the way Kun smiled at the bag of chips that Hendery had picked for himself as Kun opened up the laptop.

“Alright,” said Kun, “do you want soft pillows and firm pillows or one or the other?”

“Yours are my favorite, hyung,” said Hendery, “so whatever that is.” Kun nodded and started looking for the right kinds of pillows. It ended up being fun and relaxing and Hendery decided he wanted to be able to have more days like this with Kun, especially after they had ordered a couple pillows and blankets and even a stuffed animal, it was really nice to pick a show on Kun’s laptop and cuddle with him while eating snacks. And to Hendery’s surprise for once he felt completely safe. 

Life in the dorms was pretty routine and Hendery enjoyed that there weren’t a lot of surprises and that when there were they were always good. He started feeling comfortable in the dorm pretty quickly and before long was happy to tagalong whenever one of the others went anywhere, which meant he slowly started to get introduced to the rest of their friends and he found that he fit with the group of them well and that his owner abandoning him on their dorm doorstep may have been the best thing that ever happened to him. He hadn’t gone to any of the 247 events with any of them yet, though Mark and Donghyuck tried not to miss them, Jisung didn’t typically go to the smaller ones. But he had agreed to go with the whole group to the meeting at Jin’s that was going on this month that almost everyone would be at. He was nervous about it knowing it would be busy, but he figured it would be okay because Kun would be there and Donghyuck and Jisung were both there and if it was too much Yuta and Johnny lived a street over and would let him go play video games in their apartment instead of be at the meeting. He shivered in the cold as they walked towards Jin’s and pulled his coat tighter around him. Donghyuck and Jisung had run ahead with Xiaojun yelling and laughing as they ran towards the café. Mark and Lucas were right behind them. He leaned closer to Kun as they walked and Kun wrapped an arm around him.

“You okay?” he asked looking over at him concerned.

“Yes, hyung,” he agreed nodding. “It’s just cold.”

“I think Lucas just fell,” said Ten sounding gleeful and breaking into a jog to catch up with the younger members of the group. “Xuxi! Did you just bite it on ice?”

“Yah, hyung,” complained Lucas getting back to his feet while the others laughed at his misfortune.

“Careful, Ten-hyung, you don’t want to join him on the sidewalk,” called Xiaojun laughing. Jisung had apparently won the race to the doors of Jin’s and pulled it open. The rest of them filed in quickly, wanting to get out of the cold. It was crowded and loud and Hendery decided easily that he wanted to stick with Kun tonight, despite that the 247 meeting was supposed to be safe and no one would want to hurt him. He didn’t want to be separated from Kun in a crowded place even if it was just Jin’s Café and a crowd of people that wanted to help him.

“Hey, Ten! Have you met Seokminnie, yet?” called Hoshi waving him over to join where quite a few of the Hope On the Street dance crew was huddled around one of the tables.

“I don’t think so,” said Ten moving over to join them. Donghyuck and Jisung had scattered to catch up with their friends, Donghyuck finding Taeil’s three and Felix where they were talking to Doyoung and Jaehyun while Jisung found Beomgyu, Taehyun, Jeongin, and Chenle quickly. Lucas and Xiaojun called hello to Johnny and Yuta and headed over to join them where they were talking to WinWin and Jungwoo, leaving Kun and Hendery to make their way towards the counter to buy food and drinks. They end up lingering at the end of the counter to talk to Jungkook, Jongho, and Mingi. It’s busy and loud but it’s a pleasant kind of busy and loud and Hendery wouldn’t trade it for the world. He hooked his fingers into Kun’s coat as they left the counter behind to find Taeyong. They found him talking to Taeil, Jeonghan, and a hybrid that Hendery hadn’t met yet.

“Hey, come sit with us,” said Taeyong scooting further into the booth so that the two of them would fit. Kun waited for Hendery to slide into the booth so he could take the end, that way if anyone else joined the table Hendery wouldn’t have to worry about potentially sitting next to someone he didn’t know.

“How are you two?” asked Taeil once they were both sitting.

“We’re good, hyung,” said Kun nodding. “How are you?”

“Tired but happy,” said Taeil with a laugh, “you know Jeonghan, right?”

“Yes, we do,” said Kun nodding.

“Right, this is Dino,” said Jeonghan gesturing to the hybrid with him.

“Oh! Hi, Jeonghan-hyung’s told us about you,” said Kun brightly, “nice to meet you.”

“Your colors are really pretty,” said Hendery gesturing to his own cheeks to indicate the colors that patterned across Dino’s cheeks.

“Thanks! I like your ears,” said Dino brightly.

“This is Kun and Hendery,” said Jeonghan finishing the introductions.

“You all just missed Channie,” said Taeyong nodding, “he stepped out to take a phone call.” The conversation moved on easily from there and Hendery enjoyed being around people he trusted and listening to the others talk. A few minutes later Chan hurried back into the café looking for Felix.

“Felix,” he called once he spotted him moving over towards him.

“Hyung? Are you okay?” asked Felix concerned. The others of their friends gathering quickly around them also worried.

“Felix, they’re going to let you witness,” said Chan and silence fell over the café.

“They’re going to let me witness?” whispered Felix. “Oh my god.”

“That’s awesome, hyung!” yelled Jeongin excitedly as he pulled Felix into a hug, which prompted the café to explode into chaos of people excitedly celebrating the break through in the Black Rose case. Felix looked thrilled and terrified at the same time. He was going to be able to witness and help others like him, he was going to be able to take steps towards helping hybrid rights that none of the rest of them have been able to take yet, but doing so would mean facing his past and the monsters that waited for him there. Hendery understood the fear, understood why Felix looked terrified despite being so excited about it. He wasn’t sure he would be able to do something like that. But with this verdict from the courts, Hendery could only feel hope. If Felix was going to be able to at least have a chance to get justice from the people that had hurt him. Maybe hybrids like Hendery would have a chance one day too.

**Author's Note:**

> i may have written this entire fic this afternoon instead of doing homework. this was not the one i was planning to upload next at all 
> 
> there's more on the way, i'm working on a seventeen one that will probably be next, or it'll be another nct because i have a lot of ideas for both right now. there will be more stray kids at some point too. 
> 
> also i think i added seokmin to this story before officially adding him to the series. hoshi adopts him only a little before hendery shows up in the timeline for this series, so hoshi has him and wonwoo at this point in time XD 
> 
> Animals For Hybrids because i put way too much work into this:   
> Donghyuck - Ashera Cat  
> Jisung - Ragdoll Cat  
> Hendery - Mini Lop Bunny   
> Dino - Acmon Blue Butterfly 
> 
> i think those are the only hybrids that had actual part in this fic i may have forgotten someone. there were a lot of people mentioned that weren't really in it action wise XD 
> 
> thank you for reading i love you all!!!♡♡♡♡♡


End file.
